Page 4 of Lisa's Unexpected Valentine's Day

She felt like a complete failure at life. She swiped at her hot, and now wet, cheeks with the back of her hand as she turned to the mess on the curb. There wasn’t much space left. No matter how carefully she packed, she was going to have to leave a lot of things behind.

It was painful to make those choices, but at least it kept her mind occupied so she wasn’t thinking too hard about the next step. It was winter in Colorado, and she was on the street. It wasn’t too cold at the moment, but the weather was unpredictable and that could change in a minute.

When she’d fit in as much as she could without making it impossible to drive, she forced herself to get in the car and drive away. She tried not to look in the rear-view mirror, but she couldn’t resist one painful glance back at everything she had left behind.

Since she couldn’t afford to drive aimlessly and waste the gas, she ended up at a truck stop by the highway. She grabbed a coffee and an overpriced hot dog and settled down at a café table to think about what she was going to do, but none of her options were pleasant.

It was lucky she’d had her laptop with her while she was out, or she might have lost it when her apartment was emptied. That and her phone were her only tools to fix the situation. With the truck stop’s free wi-fi, she hopped online to apply to some new job listings while she sat there.

The coffee refills were free, and she had no place to go, so she spent the afternoon there. Once she’d exhausted the listings that she was even vaguely qualified for, she started researching government programs that might be able to help her with rent assistance or emergency funds.

There wasn’t a lot, and most of it was specifically geared toward families with children. She filled out a few forms anyway, but as it grew darker outside, she began to realize that no miracle was going to present itself and save her.

For lack of better options, Lisa moved her car to the back of the lot, covered all the windows, and hunkered down for the night. It was cold, but with all the bedding, it was bearable, though not comfortable. With her car so tightly packed, she was forced to sleep sitting up in the driver’s seat.

In the morning her whole body ached, and she was shivering as she hurried back into the truck stop for warmth. She spent the morning at a table in the back, refreshing her e-mail constantly and hoping for something good to happen. By lunchtime she was beginning to consider another night in her car, and it was a depressing thought.

When she stepped outside, she realized the temperature had dropped and that sleeping in the car just wasn’t going to work. Maybe she could manage another night, but after that? No, she was going to have to give in and beg a friend for help, and when it came to that, there was only one person she trusted enough to go to.

Maya was her best friend in the world and her housedidhave a guest room. If her husband was okay with a guest, at leastLisa wouldn’t be cramping them too much. If… he allowed her to stay.

She knew that if it was up to Maya, there would be no problem. But she also knew Maya was a Little and her husband Rick was her Daddy.Hemade the rules and that meant it was going to be up to him.

Rick seemed like a nice guy, but he was obviously dominant. Even if Maya had never confessed their secret, Lisa felt like she might have guessed, just from the way he was. There was an aura of stern authority around him.

As a result, he’d always made her a little nervous. Even when he smiled and laughed, there was still that feeling of being in charge that made her tummy clench sometimes. She envied Maya her Daddy.

Lisa had known she was a submissive all the way back in her teen years, but for various complicated reasons, it had become clear to her that she’d never be able to live her dream the way Maya was. She wouldn’t allow herself to feel resentful of what Maya had, her friend deserved her happiness.

It was just that… she wished she could be happy too.

Being homeless had a way of changing priorities, and now all she was hoping for was a place to sleep while she sorted out her life. She knew Maya didn’t get off until later in the afternoon, so she went back into the truck stop. She washed down another hot dog with the strong coffee and trawled through the job listings again.

When it got to the time that Maya was usually on her way home, Lisa packed up her laptop and headed to the car. She knew calling to ask would have been a better plan, so she didn’t waste gas if it was a no, but it felt like such an awkward conversation to have over the phone. And besides, she kind of wanted to see a friendly face.

It was getting dark as she arrived at the house, but the driveway was empty and there were no lights on inside. Lisa knew where the spare key was hidden, and she was tempted to wait in the kitchen where it was warm, but it felt too intrusive, especially when she was there to ask for a favor. She waited in the car instead, hoping it wouldn’t be too long.

Alone with her thoughts, she bundled up in a blanket as the heat slowly dissipated. It was definitely going to be a colder night than the one before. If Maya couldn’t let her stay, she might just have to take Darlene up on her offer of couch surfing—but that was a last resort.

She struggled to keep her thoughts out of the negative, but with nothing else to do, it was only a matter of time before her mood started tumbling downhill. How had she gotten herself into this mess? How?

She’d always been responsible and hard working. She took care of herself and never asked for anything she hadn’t earned—at least until now. And yet… the universe had just crapped all over her. It wasn’t fair.

Suddenly all the emotions she’d been pushing back and ignoring tumbled free. The deluge blindsided her, and so did the loud wrenching sobs that seemed to come without warning. She didn’t bother to fight it. In a weird way, it felt good to let the tears out.

Consumed in her own misery, Lisa didn’t even notice when Maya’s car pulled in behind her.

CHAPTER 3

Maya was surprised Lisa hadn’t called to say she was coming over. Normally she was always happy to see her friend, but with time being so tight, today was the rare exception. She just hoped whatever Lisa needed wouldn’t take long… or she wouldn’t even be getting a shower before her date.

She pulled in behind the car and got out, and then stopped, frowning. Lisa’s vehicle was packed to the brim with stuff. It was piled so high that the back window was almost completely covered. She could almost hear Rick’s voice in her head grumbling about how unsafe it was to drive like that. Lisa was lucky she didn’t have a Daddy, or she’d have been in trouble.

She walked around to the driver’s side and saw Lisa, hunched over, face in her hands. She could hear the ragged sobs through the glass. She put aside her concerns about running late and worry took over. “Lisa? Are you okay? What’s wrong?” she asked as she knocked on the window.

Lisa flinched and quickly wiped her face on the blanket she was wrapped in, before she looked up to meet Maya’s eyes. “Sorry, I was just waiting for you to get home.”

Which didn’t explain the tears, of course, but Maya nodded as though it did. “Come inside. It’s freezing out here.”

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